A Brief History of Askew Road
By Caroline MacMillan
London names like “Shepherd’s Bush” hark back to a bygone era, so how long ago did that moniker actually make sense? Looking round at the bustle of Askew Road today, one can hardly imagine the bucolic scene of nearly 270 years ago.
The Askew Road and its environs first appeared in the history books around 1745 when a single track running through Gaggle Goose Green connected two of the main routes in to London, later to become the Uxbridge and Goldhawk Roads.
By 1830 the area abounded in orchards and market gardens (3) which supplied fresh produce to the ever expanding City of London. However, as London continued to develop, a growing demand for building materials encouraged farmers to supplement their income with brick making (6). Between 1870 and 1890 over 17 million bricks were produced with the Stamford Brook Brickfield, which covered over 50 acres, individually employing some 250 men and boys.
During the 18th century, several wealthy families established themselves in the then named North Fulham including the Askew family, landowners from Ashchurch (9) in Gloucestershire. Askew. Ashchurch. Need we say more about this family’s influence on the area?
A century later, Capt Frederick Marryat moved his family into a house to the west of Askew Road. An English Royal Navy officer Marryat was also a novelist (recognised today as an early pioneer of the sea story) and a contemporary and acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is known particularly for his children's novel The Children of the New Forest and for a widely used system of maritime flag signalling, known as Marryat's Code. Marryat led a successful expedition up the River Bassein in Burma giving rise to the naming of Bassein Park Road (8).
1. Delhi House
2. Victoria Hall
3. Market Gardens
4. Laundry
5. Factory
6. Brick Fields
7. Wendell Park
8. Captain Marryat
9. The Ashchurches
10. Starch Green
11. Greenside School
12. Dairy
13. Sun Pub
Two other notable residents were Fleet Paymaster William Lovely RN who lived at Delhi Lodge, 1 Askew Road (1) - look out for the blue plaque - and Dr. Harry Campbell Pope who lived at Broomsgrove Villa, 280 Goldhawk Road. Pope, who had a practice in Shepherds Bush and was a prominent member of the choir at St Luke’s in Uxbridge Road, was a member of the Obstetrical Society, the Medical Society and the Gynacolgical Society. His name remains inscribed on a stone outside his home overlooking Starch Green. (10)
The second half of the 19th century brought improvements in public transport and the area became attractive to clerks and City workers. Dairies (12) provided daily milk and many households supplemented their income by taking in laundry from the well off Kensington residents. In 1900 there were 62 laundries listed in and around Becklow Road alone and the Sylvia Grey Laundry still operates in Jeddo Road.(4)
More factories opened at the turn of the 20th century including Peal and Co who had a warrant to supply boots and shoes to King George V and Lucas, a large engineering works based in Emlyn Road.(5)
The Askew Road area also played its part in both the First & Second World Wars. During the First the municipal kitchen in Becklow Road's Victoria Hall (2) served up to 2,000 meals a day to people affected by the war whilst during the Second, the public air-raid shelter in Wendell Park (7) was supplemented by residents building Anderson shelters in their back gardens. The area suffered badly during air raids with the Sun pub (13) in Askew Road and the Victorian school in Westville Road receiving direct hits. The school (11) was rebuilt to a design by architect Erno Goldfinger (of Ian Fleming fame) in 23 days in 1950 and is a Grade II listed school.
Just a Snapshot
This is just a tiny snapshot of the history of Askew Road, we have ideas about bringing to life this rich history (before it is lost) - if you would like to get involved with these let us know.
Social reformer Charles Booth walked around our neighbourhood on the 18th February 1898 - these are his notes…
‘There are only 2 thoroughly poor streets in this round, Southbrook Street out of the Goldhawke Road and Leffern Street near the Westville Road Board School: these are still poor and probably have always been poor.’
‘The remainder of the district has gone down in the sense that there are fewer rich families now than formerly. Houses built for, and lamented by a ‘red’ servant keeping class: with good gardens back and front: that was when Shepherds Bush was a country suburb, now it is becoming part of London. The red class here has moved further out and given way to a comfortable artisan and clerical set for the most part non servant keeping. The streets which were red are now purple or pink. When the electric railway from Uxbridge Road is working there will probably be a greater number of city clerks living in small brick 2 storied houses than there are now: there is still plenty of room and building proceeds apace. Rents are rising on all sides. 3 years ago said Hopkins,’ (a police sergeant accompanying Booth) ‘the rental for a 7 roomed house was 11/6d’ (57p in today’s money) ‘today the same house fetches 14/- or 15/-’ (75p). ‘In a respectable street 8/- or 9/- has to be paid for 3 or 4 rooms.’
‘ The poor streets are not vicious but drunken: public houses do a better trade each day. At the corner of Cathnor Road and Goodwin Road is a house whose license (a full one) had been granted in the last few years: a most unusual thing in the middle of a poor set of streets.’
‘Hopkins said it was partly in the nature of a job. Mr Bird the chairman had allowed this license if the publican would move from a house near his own (Bird’s) which caused him annoyance; the publican did so and was granted a new license and a new position.’
‘The farther west the greater number of laundries. In Becklow Road is the public crèche for taking the children while the mothers work. The men do not as a rule loaf: some do: wherever women work you will always find a percentage of the men loaf: you can see them waiting for their wives to give them 3d at the doors of the laundries.’
‘All the children coming out of the Westville Road Board School: a very large handsome building were… well fed and clothed, owing probably to the open weather… with the continuance of building and brick making, the district looks more prosperous than it would in a winter of harder weather.’
Becklow Road
‘Two storey laundries: drying room behind: small employers giving work to 9 or 10 women and 4or 5 men who are drivers, dollymen, labourers: washerwomen, very independent; careless of their children; drink much beer; noisy…very little trouble to police.’
Women’s work and pay.
‘Ordinary washers earn 2/- (10p) per day: in Notting Dale Hearn said the rate was 2/6d: the best girls are packers, sorters, collar hands and ironers. Ironers earn 21/- (£1.05p) per week on piece. Laundries of all sizes with from 5 to 100 persons employed. Washers and rough ironers are the least skilled and the roughest: “their drink is for ale not spirits”. All are noisy, independent but no trouble to the police.’
Gayford Road
‘Very poor at East end, especially on the North side: improves westwards: south side better than north and westward better than east: some large laundries on south side; smart well groomed and dressed man rode up to one on a bicycle. “Two or three retired officers have gone in for laundries in the district, he is one of them”. Common lodging house on North side, and many houses at east end let in single rooms.’
Census Information
Two families, of seven people each shared six rooms at no 84 Gayford Road. William Brown was the head of the first family and worked as a lamplighter.
Victorian street lamps were powered by gas and had to be lit in the evening (the first electric power was introduced in the district in 1897).William’s wife was named Mary and their eldest daughter Alice worked in a local laundry.Most of Alice’s brothers and sisters were at school, but the youngest, Daisy was 3 years old and too young to attend.
The Gray family shared no 84 with the Browns.. William was the head of the family and worked as a farrier, a type of blacksmith. He made horseshoes, an important job in the days before cars. William’s wife Jane also worked in a laundry like many other women in the area. The Grays had 5 children; James, Anne, William, Hettie and George.
Rylett Road
‘Inhabitants go into work in the morning by bus or train; they fill a bus themselves; they meet at Goldhawke Road; conductor blows ahorn at 8 and off they go. Return between 6 and 7; others go by train from Ravenscourt Park or Shepherds Bush Station.The journey by bus from the Queen of England public house at the corner of Goldhawke Road and Stanford House Road to Liverpool Street (green Bayswater bus) costs 5d.’
Do you have historic photos of Askew Road, are you a bit of a local history buff, would you like to bring this information to a wider audience?